TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on the Kansas Legislature’s debate over increasing taxes to balance the state budget (all times local):
Republican Gov. Sam Brownback says he would not sign a bill advanced by the Kansas House that would increase personal income taxes to help balance the state budget.
While Brownback stopped short Wednesday of saying he would veto the bill, he strongly criticized the measure during a speech to members of the National Federation of Independent Business. He urged NFIB members to lobby against it.
The House gave first-round approval Wednesday to the bill. It would raise more than $1 billion over two years and abandon core tax policies Brownback successfully pushed in 2012 and 2013.
Brownback told reporters afterward he has never been for income tax increases.
He said in a statement later that the bill would hurt middle-class families.
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3p.m.
Republican Gov. Sam Brownback says a bill advanced by the Kansas House that would increase personal income taxes is “a big step backwards.”
Brownback made his comments in a speech Wednesday at the Statehouse to members of the National Federation of Independent Business.
His remarks came after the House gave first-round approval to a bill that would increase income taxes by raising more than $1 billion over two years. Supporters are promoting it as the best way to balance the budget.
The bill would abandon core policies Brownback pushed in 2012 and 2013.
He said, “This is just really going the wrong way.”
Brownback contends tax cuts previously championed have created economic growth. But the state has struggled to balance its budget since.
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1p.m.
The Kansas House has given first-round approval to a bill that would increase personal income taxes to help balance the budget by raising more than $1 billion over two years.
The vote Wednesday was 83-39, setting up a second final vote Thursday to determine whether the measure goes to the Senate.
The bill would abandon core policies championed by GOP Gov. Sam Brownback. While Republicans in the House were split, enough of them voted with Democrats to give the bill its strong margin.
Kansas faces budget shortfalls totaling nearly $1.1 billion through June 2019. The state has experienced persistent financial problems since Republican lawmakers slashed personal income taxes in 2012 and 2013 at Brownback’s urging.
9:55 a.m.
Two key Republican lawmakers say a Democratic budget-balancing proposal to increase personal income taxes could pass the GOP-controlled Kansas Senate.
The tax increase before the Senate is larger than an income tax increase the House was planning to debate Wednesday.
The House plan would raise more than $1 billion over two years starting in July. The proposal from Senate Democrats would generate $1.2 billion in new revenues over two years.
But GOP Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning of Overland Park and tax committee Chairwoman Caryn Tyson of Parker said they believe the Democratic plan could pass with the help of new Republican senators.
Kansas faces budget shortfalls totaling nearly $1.1 billion through June 2019. Lawmakers in both parties are trying to balance the budget without cutting education funding.
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8:25 a.m.
The Kansas House is considering proposals to balance the state budget that are designed prevent a cut in aid to public schools.
House members planned to debate a bill Wednesday that would raise personal income taxes to raise more than $1 billion over two years starting in July. They planned to debate another bill Thursday that would permit $317 million in internal government borrowing.
Kansas faces budget shortfalls totaling nearly $1.1 billion through June 2019. Lawmakers do not believe they can raise revenues quickly enough to close a gap of about $320 million projected for June 30.
Senate Republican leaders were pushing a budget-balancing plan last week that included a $128 million education funding cut. But they canceled a debate on it when support for the measure collapsed.
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5:52 a.m.
Kansas legislators who favor balancing the state budget with a big income tax increase are preparing to test fellow lawmakers’ appetite for such a fix.
The state House was planning to debate a bill Wednesday that would boost personal income taxes to raise more than $1 billion over two years, starting in July. The measure would abandon core policies championed by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.
The measure has bipartisan support but Republicans in the GOP-controlled House are split.
Kansas faces budget shortfalls totaling nearly $1.1 billion through June 2019. The state has experienced persistent financial problems since Republican lawmakers slashed personal income taxes in 2012 and 2013 at Brownback’s urging.
The bill would end an exemption for more than 330,000 farmers and business owners and boost income tax rates.